Hirp Pop

In Hip-Hop, “beef” is fairly common. It goes back to the beginning of the genre. Originally, rappers used to compete directly. They’d trade insults and try to one up each other and it was all fun and games. It was like friends just teasing each other. At some point things took a turn for the worse. What always struck me as funny is here are these supposed badass thugs who don’t give a shit about anyone or anything. In fact they brag about how little they DON’T care about anyone or what anyone thinks, and this is one of the aspects of the music I enjoy so much. But the second someone disses them or makes them the butt of a joke, then all hell breaks loose. It’s gotten to the point that violence isn’t just a threat, it’s nearly a guarantee. Records are made in attempts to end careers. And sometime’s it’s successful, like when 50 Cent pretty much ended Ja Rules career.

Beef isn’t just a hip-hop phenomenon. Ask Axl and Cobain. There’s Toby and the Chicks or Van Zant and Neil Young. See Mariah and Whitney. Why do you think Harry Connick Jr got caught with a gun back in 92? He wanted to bust a cap in Michael Boltons ass for beating him out of a Grammy. The last example is pure speculation.

But no diss record or beef has done more damage than one pop song by a former boy band member. Justin Timberlake, “Cry Me a River,” not only ended Britney Spears’ career, it has totally turned her life upside down. The former pop princess is now walking firmly, or stumbling may be more accurate, in the hooker heels once worn by Anna Nicole. And it all stems from Justin outing her for cheating on him. She hasn’t been the same.

Hell, look her up on wikipedia.com. Her career is broken down like this with some highlights:
1998-2000: Early commercial success (
2001-2003: Career development (became first female artist to debut at #1 with her first 3 releases)
2004-2005: Great Hits. First sentence about this period of her life starts, “After her marriage to Keven Federline,”

And her personal life is broken down to pre-2004, and 2004-2006 “Marriage, children and divorce”

So maybe this explains why she passed on doing a duet with Justin, that might have been the final insult. To wreck a career, and then come back to them as their last hope is pure genius. Evil genius, but genius none the less. Justin did more for revenge than Michael Corelone.

The evidence is clear, well on to points. One, Justin killed her career. Secondly, I need serious fucking help.

----------------------------------------------

Last thought for the day. I got a new pair of sneakers a couple of weeks ago, New Balance. So fuck Air or any other gimmick they come up with, these sneakers have shoe laces that actually stay tied. That should be their selling point. I can’t fully express how happy I am to have low maintenance shoelaces.